Snippets of the address delivered by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV Rosary for Peace at the Vatican Gardens, Italy (31 May 2026)

“The Lord never abandons us, even when we forget him, even when we lose our way. He comes in search of us and draws near with his everlasting love.

Peace is not a theory to be tested in a laboratory, nor a naive illusion, nor a matter to be pursued out of self-interest. It is rather a daily commitment.

Even in this time marked by tension and conflict, peace becomes possible when we choose to listen to the cry of those deprived of it – innocent children, anguished mothers and fathers, abused prisoners, refugees, and people of every age who suffer. All of them have but one word on their lips – peace.

We know that peace is always possible because it is a gift from God. This peace has a face, Jesus Christ, son of God, who through his life given for us, reconciled heaven and earth.

As the Apostle Paul writes, He is our peace. He is the one who breaks down the walls of hostility, conquers arrogance through humility, and redeems all creation from sin.

Every time we return to the Lord, His peace becomes our responsibility, according to the duties and tasks of each person.

Thus, our prayer becomes mission and prophecy. The cry of the innocent must no longer be heard in our cities.

No one should have to flee from his or her own home because of the threat of bombs. The desire for power and the violence of words and the violence of words must give way to the thirst for justice and truth.

Everyone can and must do his or her part, beginning with small but important things – abstaining from every form of verbal or physical violence in daily life and also on social media.”